Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Sociology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-253). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNR11616

ABSTRACT WORDSMITH: EXAMINING THE ROLE HIP-HOP TEXTS PLAY IN VIEWING THE WORLD by Crystal LaVoulle Originally the voice of a silenced group of inner city Black males, hip-hop culture contains a historical road map that chronicles the experiences of its members. This study attempted to examine hip-hop through the stories of adults who incorporateaspects of hip-hop culture into their daily lives. Specifically, this study investigated, “How is hip-hop a critical element in the lives of poets, artists, and educators who are actively and intimately involved in its music and culture?” Additionally, this study will explore the following sub-questions: (1) What does it mean to be a member of the hip-hop community? (2) How does hip-hop inform the view of the world for participants in this study? This qualitative research study, framed by critical literacy, attempted to fill the void in the scholarship of hip-hop texts. Data collection included in-depth individual interviews, photo-elicited interviews and music-elicited interviews, a group interview, and cultural artifacts. Narrative inquiry and analysis served as both the process and product used to describe the participants’ lives as members of the hip-hop community. Narrative analysis allowed the construction of cipher-styled presentation of the data collected. Using participants’ lived experiences, their individual stories are molded into a concise narrative. This narrative, told by members of the hip-hop community, may provide a context for other researchers seeking to understand the influence of hip-hop on everyday people around the world.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2006--Graz.

Proefschrift--Universiteit van Amsterdam, 2002. / Bibliogr. p. 357-371.

Thesis (Magisterarbeit)--Universität Frankfurt (Main), 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

In 1988, rap group Public Enemy's front man Chuck D declared that hip-hop was the "black CNN." His assertion was that hip-hop music could be used as a tool to disseminate information amongst communities that traditionally have been underserved by mainstream media outlets. In the years since, several explicitly political and activist groups have formed within hip-hop communities. Most hip-hop audience members are not, however, directly involved in such groups. My dissertation investigates the links between hip-hop music and culture and politics in the lives of audience members, exploring audience member's definitions of politics and community and examining the influence of hip-hop on these definitions. This is an ethnographic project that includes participant observation as well as in-depth interviews with self-identified hip-hop fans. Participant observation took place at two National Hip-Hop Political Convention conferences, in Austin at concerts, panel discussions, and other hip-hop oriented events, and online in an email listserv devoted to hip-hop and politics. Interviews address listening and other practices that serve to connect individual members to hip-hop communities. In addition, I asked participants to explore their definitions of "politics" and to comment on connections between music and politics from their individual perspectives. Finally, participants were asked to list issues of particular concern to them. This is an interdisciplinary project that combines aspects of sociology, cultural studies, and popular music studies. I also rely upon Patricia Hill Collins' concept of intersectionality, assuming that race, class, and gender each work together to contribute to audience members' experience with hip-hop music and culture and their sense of belonging to the hip-hop community. This project contributes to understandings of music reception as well as to understanding political affiliation and practice by exploring and describing the ways in which people register and experience music and politics in the hip-hop generation. / text

A longitudinal content analysis of top-chart hip-hop songs’ lyrics produced between 1980 and 2013 was conducted to investigate the degree and progression of the paradoxical juxtaposition, or postmodern hybridity, of oppositional modernist identities in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, sexuality, and economic lifestyle, in addition to the longitudinal diversification of artist’s race and gender demographics. Demographically, the percentage of non-African-American artists increased as the percentage of African-American artists decreased. Additionally, the percentage of songs featuring either all male or all female artists decreased, while the percentage of collaboration between male and female artists increased over time. Although hybrid oppositional identities related to race/ethnicity and gender did not increase over time, those of sexual orientation, sexuality, and economic lifestyle increased over time. In addition, materialist identities were related to the hybridity of sexual orientation and sexuality, but not to that of gender and race/ethnicity. Overall, the research found increasing postmodern hybridity within the sexualization of hip-hop songs along with intensified materialism.

El objeto estudio de esta tesis doctoral se basó en investigar cualitativamente como los breakers (hiphoperos guayacos), redefinen sus prácticas culturales (los significados, valores, subjetividades como anhelos, aspiraciones) en la sociedad actual. Teniendo en cuenta que el arte urbano es un arte eminentemente social, que va en aumento en la ciudad de Guayaquil. Desde esta perspectiva es un fenómeno importante de estudio, en la vida social, no sólo por la diversidad de sus expresiones, sino por los múltiples procesos de significación que se articulan alrededor de su práctica, como los roles que asumen los jóvenes que lo practican, el papel que cumple el Hip Hop como expresión cultural en una sociedad diversa. La forma como construyen valores los jóvenes, sus relaciones con el entorno, con el mundo, sus aspiraciones, la construcción de su imaginación y procesos creativos en su práctica diaria y cotidianeidad. Esta tesis tomó como referencias teóricas los pensamientos de algunos autores, siendo uno de los más importantes: Merton con la Teoría de los grupos de Referencia, Schütz, Bauman, Lipovetsky, para fundamentar el objeto de estudio, e indagar a profundidad aspectos internos de vivencia de los jóvenes que practican hip hop danza desde su cotidianidad. La metodología que se utilizó tuvo un enfoque cualitativo, lo que permitió tener una perspectiva holística del fenómeno en estudio, centrada en el significado de las interacciones de las prácticas culturales de artistas hiphoperos,. La recolección de datos fue también de carácter documental- bibliográfico y de campo, lo que permitió describir, observar, descubrir y relatar el fenómeno en estudio. Los instrumentos utilizados para la recolección de la información fueron: la observación directa y observación participante, las entrevistas a profundidad e historias de vida de jóvenes hihoperos. PALABRAS CLAVES: Prácticas culturales, Hip Hop, artistas urbanos, sociedad actual. / --- The study object of this thesis is based on qualitative research as breakers (lignum vitae hiphoperos) redefine their cultural practices (the meanings, values, subjectivities and desires, aspirations) in today's society. Given that urban art is an eminently social art, which is increasing in the city of Guayaquil. From this perspective it is an important phenomenon of study, in social life, not only for the diversity of its expressions, but by the multiple processes of meaning that articulate about their practice, the roles assumed by the young people who practice it, the role of the Hip Hop as a cultural expression in a diverse society. How young people build values, relationships with the environment, with the world, aspirations, building your imagination and creative processes in their daily practice and daily life. This thesis took as theoretical references the thoughts of some authors, one of the most important it was: theory of reference groups: Merton, Schütz, Bauman, Lipovetsky, to support the object of study, and inquire in depth experience of internal aspects youth hip hop dance practice from their daily lives. The methodology used was a qualitative approach, which allowed having a holistic view of the phenomenon under study, focused on the meaning of the interactions of the cultural practices of hip-hop artists. Data collection was also documentary- character bibliographic and field, allowing describe, observe, discover and report the phenomenon under study. The instruments used for data collection were: direct observation and participant observation, in-depth interviews and life stories of young hiphoperos. KEYWORDS: Cultural practices, Hip Hop, urban artists, actual society / Tesis

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hip-hop culture on the communication skills of students as perceived by teachers at three high schools in Houston, Texas. Hip-hop culture consists of: rap music, breakdancing, graffiti art, and deejaying. Hip-hop is currently one of the most popular forms of music and represents the dominant culture of today's inner-city youth. The researcher issued written surveys to 30 teachers in Houston, Texas. The high schools selected for this study were: Yates High School (Houston Independent School District), Wheatley High School (Houston Independent School District), and Eisenhower High School (Aldine Independent School District). Two teachers were also interviewed for the study. The final part of the study was the production of an educational hip-hop CD by the researcher. The literature review focuses on the history and practices of hip-hop in regard to language. Once the surveys were received and the interviews were completed, the researcher compiled statistics regarding the background information of the participants and the level of influence that each teacher felt that hip-hop culture has on students. The major findings of the study were: 1. Hip-hop culture heavily influences the oral language and written communication of students based upon the opinions of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. 2. Hip-hop can be used as a tool to supplement the teaching of various academic concepts as evidenced by the practices of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends: 1. Teachers should acknowledge hip-hop culture and allow students to express their interest in hip-hop culture in the classroom. 2. Teachers should find ways to incorporate hip-hop culture into the curriculum to arouse students' interest in learning. For instance, allow students to learn from listening to educational rap songs. 3. Teachers should find ways to use hip-hop culture in the classroom to improve the acquisition and retention of academic concepts. Examples could include allowing students to write rap songs about academic concepts.

This study used in-depth interviews with members of Hip Hop culture nationwide currently entering adulthood; those between 21-30. Its purpose being to learn what they understand Hip Hop culture to be, what it means to them and their identity and how in contributes to assessment of its history, present and predictions about its future. The project yielded 25 interviews with participants sharing various, at times contradictory, views about what Hip Hop culture is, the current condition of the culture, and its future direction and the salience it has for their identities. This research extends the current literature on Hip Hop by suggesting that it has grown to be a multigenerational culture and furthermore, begins the process of understanding the dynamics of cultural understanding and transformation within Hip Hop while it is still a burgeoning culture.